Photo: Bernt Rostad · CC BY 2.0Households in Fryeburg have lower incomes than those in 80% of U.S. towns
Commuters spend 20 minutes getting to work on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. The two grades for Fryeburg are C for jobs and income and B+ for walkability. About one in four work in Fryeburg; the top destination outside it is Conway (28%, 7 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What stands out about work in Fryeburg
Many Fryeburg workers cross into New Hampshire
54% of Fryeburg workers work outside Maine, most of them in New Hampshire, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
A lot of Fryeburg works one town over
32% of working residents work in a town that borders Fryeburg: Conway (28%), Bridgton (3%) and Denmark (1%). Next door ↓
Fryeburg makes and builds things
36% of the jobs based in Fryeburg are in goods: factories, construction and farms. Across the jobs Fryeburg residents hold, wherever they work, it’s 18%. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Fryeburg are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 25 across Maine. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Maine worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in Fryeburg: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Fryeburg is better than 32% of U.S. towns, #111 of 143 in Maine. Unemployment holds Fryeburg’s grade up (2.8%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 10% of U.S. towns).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Fryeburg could be anywhere from D to B.
Out of Fryeburg to work: where people go
Where Fryeburg clocks in
28% of workers
4% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
In Fryeburg, 36% of jobs are in factories, building or farming
1,194 jobs are based in Fryeburg.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Fryeburg, 2013 → 2023: 1,205 → 1,194. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Fryeburg’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Commuting from Fryeburg: about 20 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Fryeburg workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,701 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The daily commute in and out of Fryeburg
On a workday 1,175 residents head out to work, 368 work right here, and 826 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Fryeburg on a workday afternoon, 10% fewer than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.77 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where in the region Fryeburg works
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Fryeburg is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Fryeburg is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns, #39 of 143 in Maine. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 4.8% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 5.0% across Maine, on an EPA index of 6.8.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,906 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.5% of Fryeburg households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Fryeburg’s commuters take a bus or train.
Out of 4,355 U.S. towns of 2,500 to 4,800, Fryeburg comes 3,038th on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 350 | North Yarmouth ME | 4,424 | $129K | 4.8% | 1.9% | 7% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 735 | Arundel ME | 4,596 | $102K | 5.9% | 3.0% | 9% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 780 | Limington ME | 4,173 | $85K | 3.4% | 0.4% | 5% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,036 | Fairbury NE | 3,812 | $53K | 14.9% | 1.4% | 35% | C |
| 3,037 | Farmington Township IL | 3,094 | $69K | 9.1% | 9.0% | 14% | C |
| 3,038 | Fryeburg ME | 3,576 | $56K | 10.7% | 2.8% | 24% | C |
| 3,039 | Barboursville WV | 4,307 | $61K | 19.2% | 4.2% | 11% | C |
| 3,040 | Sterling NY | 3,157 | $60K | 14.1% | 2.6% | 7% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 4,355 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Fryeburg, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
The towns next door employ 32% of Fryeburg
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Fryeburg workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fryeburg | – | C | B+ | 20 min | $56,076 |
| Bridgton | 3% | C | C | 41 min | $77,500 |
| Denmark | 1% | C− | C | 34 min | $64,167 |
| Brownfield | under 1% | C− | D | 44 min | $60,889 |
| Stow | under 1% | — | — | 51 min | — |
| Sweden | under 1% | — | — | 31 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Stow and Sweden: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Conway. Darker towns draw more of Fryeburg’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Fryeburg: questions
What is the median household income in Fryeburg?
$56,076 (±$15,413) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Fryeburg?
10.7%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Fryeburg?
20 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Fryeburg work?
24% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Conway (28%, 7 mi), Portland (4%, 47 mi), Bridgton (3%, 10 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Fryeburg walkable?
Fryeburg is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns (Walkability B+): an EPA walkability index of 6.8 out of 20, and 5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Fryeburg without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Fryeburg, from the people who make the trip.
More of Fryeburg
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.